


Of Friends and Jealousy

by TheGreenCloak



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Draco being a nice guy, Draco being friends with Hermione, Draco being friends with Luna, Draco being friends with Ron, Draco being friends with everyone but Harry basically, Fluff, Harry is jealous, M/M, extreme fluff, really jealous, reconcilliation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-20
Updated: 2017-05-20
Packaged: 2018-11-02 21:12:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,164
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10952814
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheGreenCloak/pseuds/TheGreenCloak
Summary: In which Draco tries to pursue Harry by befriending his friends and cocks it up tremendously.





	Of Friends and Jealousy

“Miss Lovegood, would you be so kind as to accompany me on my search for nargles today? I’ve been looking all over the castle for them but apparently they aren’t feeling particularly comfortable around me, I suppose they would if your kindred soul would come with,” Draco Malfoy said, successfully silencing the entire great hall in the middle of breakfast rush. He had not only managed to catch the attention of the students occupying the Ravenclaw table though, no he had quite surpassed himself. All of the students had their eyes trained on him and Luna, curious as to how the situation would develop.

“How lovely Dray, of course I’ll accompany you. Meet me at the entrance hall around ten? Oh and maybe try to wear another sort of robe, something colourful, or perhaps one of those pants thingies that muggles always seem to wear. Nargles prefer comfortable colours instead of black,” Luna happily chipped. Her pale blue eyes poured right into Draco’s and whilst neither of these two saw it themselves, another student, tucked far away in the back of the hall regarded the whole ordeal with a sort of scepticism that is often brought on by jealousy. This person *cough* Harry Potter *cough* had just arrived in the great hall and upon seeing Draco’s obvious display of affection towards Luna he had walked straight out again, consumed by an undecipherable anger that seemed to run through his every pore.

Draco said no more and simply nodded with a smile before turning back to the Slytherin table where Pansy Parkinson welcomed him with a smile and a soft pat on the back. Draco felt well as he once again took his place beside his friend. His little plan of reconciliation seemed to work and as soon as he came down from his success induced high his pewter eyes sought out the familiar form of one very famous Gryffindor. He couldn’t find him though. He tried the area around Granger and Weasley, the entrance of the hall and even the other tables, but no such luck. The man simply wasn’t there. Draco felt his shoulders slump ever so slightly, disappointment oozing from his very form.

“He just came in a while ago but suddenly left, I’m sorry Dray,” Pansy whispered as she put her arm around him in comfort.

“Why did he leave though?” Draco mumbled, his voice slightly whiny as he put his head on Pansy’s shoulder.

“Because he’s a massive twat,” Pansy tried, but upon seeing that her attempt to a joke went wasted on Draco she continued, “Maybe he just wasn’t feeling all too well. Maybe he smelled the food and felt his stomach turn or something, I don’t know, but it definitely wasn’t your fault Dray.”

“If you say so.”

 

Draco and Luna’s search for nargles went well, not as in they found a lot of nargles, but rather as in they had the time to reconcile and perhaps even lay the foundations of a sort of odd friendship based on academic fascination and folklore myths. Less than a week later Luna came up to his table instead, slightly skipping as she did so, the blonde ponytails that she had decided on that day flying behind her. He smiled as soon as he saw her heading his way, completely endeared by the way she seemed so free and yet so contained at the same time.

“Dray Dray, would you like to join me on my search for nargles today? I’ll be searching in a special place today where we’ll be more likely to encounter some,” Luna softly said, her voice laced by joy and excitement.

“And where would that special place be, Miss Lovegood?” Draco asked playfully. He couldn’t help but go along with her childlike antics, feeling younger and lighter all the same as she graced him with her presence. She giggled and bent forward, her mouth resting against his cheek as she whispered the secret location for their further exploits in his ear. He smiled giddily before fervently nodding in appraisal.

A few tables down one could, if he chose to pay any heed to it, witness the great Harry Potter spit out his food whilst glaring heavily at the odd pair at the Slytherin table. His blood was boiling as he smashed his fist against the table top, slightly bruising his knuckles in the progress. Hermione turned to him at once, a worried expression etched on her face.

“Harry? Are you alright?” she asked. Her mouth was still filled with food so it sounded slightly muffled, but he understood her clearly nevertheless. Instead of answering he growled. Hermione quickly followed his line of sight and sighed.

“Oh Harry, why don’t you just tell him?” Her kind words were fractured though as he simply slammed his fist against the table again before rising from his seat and stomping off to the Gryffindor dorms once more. This time he did manage to catch Draco’s attention upon his departure and the other man felt so disappointed as he saw the saviour leave, his shoulders deflating completely even though Luna was still gracing him with her presence.

That day Draco and Luna first talked about Harry though Luna had already known that there was something there between the saviour of the wizarding world and the former death eater, she listened with the patience of a saint for which Draco was more than grateful. She suggested asking Hermione to do something together next time in order to show Harry that he could get past his own prejudices.

 

So the next day Draco decided to simply do it. He had tossed and turned all night upon how to ask Hermione to do something together and had eventually decided that since both he and Miss Granger were so fond of academics he could perhaps convince her to work together in class and what better class was there for team work than potions? So as potions class began and Hermione sat herself next to Neville, Draco approached her carefully, a small genuine smile etched on his face.

“Miss Granger?” he asked, startling both Hermione herself as well as the rest of the class, “Would you perhaps like to be my partner today? I know that you have a certain streak for potions and since I share your fascination I thought we could perhaps work together?” Hermione remained completely still, her mouth slightly gaping as she simply stared at Draco who became more and more uncomfortable with the minute, until Neville probed her with his elbow and she woke up from her reverie.

“I would love to,” she muttered, a faint blush painting her cheeks as she got up from the working station she was sharing with Neville and walked over to the one where Draco had laid his books and quill. Pansy soon took the place next to Neville who seemed anything but pleased with the entire ordeal, more like absolutely terrified until Pansy stroke up a conversation about plants, in which Neville happily joined in.

While Draco and Hermione worked in extreme silence for the first half of class they did seem to become more comfortable in each other’s presence until Draco asked for her ethical visions on the use of veritaserum, the potion that they were brewing, during interrogation processes. Needless to say they got on fairly well, each interested by the others view on the topic. Hermione seemed to sport a more emotional opinion on the subject whereas Draco proved to be more of a pragmatic sort of man, but they got on either way and as their subjects evolved so did their attitude towards each other. At the end of class they were laughing and joking around as if they had done so for many years.

There were two people, working alongside each other, in the back of the class who were less than pleased though.

“Oh how funny Draco ha ha ha,” Ron giggled in a bad imitation of Hermione, pretending to flick his hair from his eyes while smiling in a forced manner. “Bloody prat better back off my girlfriend,” he spat bitterly. Harry who was working beside him wasn’t doing much better.

“First Luna now Hermione, bloody slimy git,” he spat in anger. Both were so consumed by their mutual anger that they didn’t pay any attention to their potion though and so when it exploded in their face they both abruptly fell to the floor, faces covered in one or other slimy green substance. Draco and Hermione rushed over immediately, but were harshly brushed off by the two other students who had already jumped up again and cast a quick sqourgify.

“We’re fine, but thanks for sparing us some time to worry for nothing,” Ron grumbled before taking Harry with him and leaving the classroom where Draco and Hermione watched them retreat with the same puzzled look etched on their faces.

 

Draco was starting to become desperate. He had tried everything to appeal to Harry but the other man only seemed to become angrier with every attempt he made. He had already befriended Luna with whom he now went on nargles expedition every weekend and Hermione with whom he had started studying after class in the library ever evening, but for one of other reason Harry seemed to remain a distant target. And so Draco had decided to take it a step further. He was going to try and befriend Ronald Weasley. He knew that such an act of heroism would probably land him dead in the gutter, but he had to try.

It was a lazy Wednesday evening and Harry and Ron were playing wizarding chess in the great hall. Harry was losing dramatically and Draco thought that he might appreciate it if Draco took over so Draco assembled all of his courage and headed for the duo.

“Excuse me for interrupting, but I couldn’t help but overhear that you are looking for a worthy opponent in wizarding chess and though I am no professional, I might be able to offer you a more prolonged match, Mr Weasley,” Draco said, his voice soft as he was afraid that he would come over as a prick if he spoke to loudly. Ron looked up from his game of chess in surprise while Harry gave him a look so filled with hatred that Draco took a small step back.

“Stop stealing my friends, you prick!” Harry shouted all of a sudden before leaving his seat and stomping off. Draco tried to shout something after him, but before he had been able to gather his wits the other man had disappeared. Draco’s shoulders slumped as he let himself drop on the seat in front of Weasley.

“I fucked up, didn’t I?” he grumbled as he dropped his head on the table. Ron seemed all sorts of uncomfortable, facing the great Draco Malfoy in such a vulnerable disposition.

“No…” he tried, but even he didn’t believe his own words, so he didn’t really cherish any hope that the other man would.

“No need to tell me, I know when I’ve fucked up… I’ve done so more than often enough after all…” Draco sighed before lifting his head again and forcing a smile on his face. Ron smiled back in the same forced manner, far too uncomfortable for his own good. “Anyway enough pouting, I promised you a decent chess match and I’m going to give you one!” The false cheeriness didn’t really translate, but Ron appreciated the gesture and he started to prepare the board. As it turned out they were indeed a match made in heaven (when it came to wizarding chess and ONLY when it came to wizarding chess). They played until late in the evening when McGonagall came to warn them that it was far too late to be playing chess even though they were technically adults and free to do whatever they wanted.

They strolled through the halls together in high spirits, joking around and acting foolish as they did so until they crossed no one other than Harry Potter on their path who looked even more furious than he had done before. He didn’t even greet them this time, instead he just walked past them, squaring his shoulders so that he harshly bumped into them. Draco hissed slightly as Harry’s sharp shoulder collided with his own.

“Why does he even hate me so much?” Draco whined to Ron as Harry disappeared from sight. Ron sighed and slightly patted the other man’s back.

“He doesn’t hate you… it’s more like… Well it’s difficult to explain, but maybe you should just try to talk to him,” Ron said, obviously uncomfortable with the subject.

“Talk? How am I supposed to talk to a man who avoids me constantly?”

“Why don’t you come with me to the Gryffindor dorm? I’ll lure him out in the corridor and then you can talk to him?” Ron suggested, scratching the back of his head as he did so.

“You’d do that?” Draco’s face lit up like a Christmas tree and Ron just chuckled in reply, leading the way to his dorm with the other man slightly skipping next to him.

 

Draco was waiting in front of the portrait of the Fat Lady for Harry, his heart beating like a drum inside of his chest. This was it. He was going to talk to Harry and he was going to tell the other man how he felt. And if the feeling wasn’t mutual than he would just have to deal with that, he had expanded his group of friends to such an extend after all that he was sure that he wouldn’t have to cry by himself. He had prepared an entire speech on the way to the Gryffindor tower but as soon as Harry stepped out of the portrait hole all of the words had left his mind, chased away by sheer nervousness. The angry expression on the other man’s face didn’t quite help him suppress his nerves either.

“You had something to say Malfoy?” Harry spat, his face coloured with anger and disgust.

“I , uhm, that is, no, what I mean to say is-“ “Just spit it out, I don’t have the entire night,” Harry said harshly. Draco took a step back, shocked by the harsh tone of Harry’s voice. He had always thought of the other man as a kind man, but the man who stood in front of him now was anything but a kind man. This man was cruel and vile and Draco wasn’t so sure whether he still wanted to talk to him. But then he remembered how Harry could be and so he squared his shoulders, looked Harry right in the eye and spoke from his heart.

“Mr Potter, I would like to know as to why you seem so tenacious in hating me. Now I know that you have every right to dislike me, but it would mean a lot to me if you could tell me as to why your hatred for me seems to have grown these last few weeks,” Draco politely said, his voice as determinant as his gaze. Harry seemed to be taken back by Draco’s persistent tone, losing his angry expression as he deflated like a balloon, a wary expression making its way onto his face.

“What are you on about Malfoy? What’s with the whole Mr Potter, Miss Granger, Mr Weasley act? And why do you keep on trying to befriend my friends?” Harry asked, his voice masked with genuine confusion.

“Well first off I am simply trying to be polite. It is the proper thing to do after all. As for your friends I genuinely enjoy the company of them, even Ron, I just don’t understand why you would be so bothered by me trying to befriend while the reason I am doing so is- No, don’t matter. Either way what I mean to say is that I really like your friends and-“ Draco spoke, but he was cut off by Harry.

“What reason?” Harry snapped, making Draco blush as he internally facepalmed in frustration. He had nearly told Harry that he was the reason for Draco’s fervent attempts at befriending Luna, Hermione and Ron. How bloody stupid could he have been?!

“Because I like them,” Draco quickly replied, but Harry regarded him with a certain air of suspicion.

“You see this is exactly why I don’t trust you, you always seem to have an ulterior motive,” Harry said, disappointment lacing his voice. He shook his head before turning his back to Draco. The other man felt a feeling of despair wash over him and in a desperate attempt to stop Harry from shutting him out completely he shouted his true feelings out to Harry.

“I’m in love with you alright! I’ve been trying to befriend your friends in the hope that you wouldn’t hate me quite so much!” Draco shouted, effectively stopping Harry in his step. The latter turned around, an insecure smile etched on his face.

“You’re in love with me?” he asked in a daze, his eyes big in wonder. Draco gulped before shakily nodding.

“I’ve been so for quite some time… And I’d understand if you weren’t feeling the same way, really I would. I just thought I’d at least try to win you over but as you can see I’m a bit of an idiot when it comes to these sort of things…” Draco mumbled, his face flushed as he stared shyly at the floor. Harry wouldn’t have anything of that though. He placed a careful hand underneath Draco’s face, lifting it up so the other man would be forced to look him in the eye.

“Then try to win me over, properly this time,” Harry said, his voice kind as he inched a little bit closer, his eyes shifting to the other man’s lips in longing.

“But-“ Before Draco could finish his sentence though Harry had silenced him with a long, soft kiss. Draco whined softly as Harry tried to pull back to which the latter pressed closer once again, causing their chests to touch. Draco shyly darted his tongue out, swiftly licking Harry’s upper lip to which the other man opened his mouth to invite him in. Their kiss was both soft and loving, there was no fight for dominance nor were there any teeth involved, instead it was accompanied by loving caresses and quiet moans of pleasure. When they eventually did break apart Harry looked up to Draco in such a loving manner that the taller felt himself melt ever so slightly.

“Mr Potter, would you perhaps like to accompany me on a stroll through the meadows this weekend?” Draco whispered, his voice slightly hoarse as he searched Harry’s eyes for the answer to his question. The other slightly flushed as he nodded happily before nuzzling into Draco’s nape who had pulled him closer to him as well. 

THE END


End file.
